


Tony Stark: Ghost Rehabilitator

by singingwithoutwords



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, basically everyone is a ghost, does this count as no powers? nobody knows, i'm so sorry y'all, oblique references to death because basically everyone is a ghost, what even am i doing with my life anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 04:24:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17842409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singingwithoutwords/pseuds/singingwithoutwords
Summary: In which Tony still manages to look after the others, even though they all died before he was born.[square T1 - old ghosts]





	Tony Stark: Ghost Rehabilitator

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know, y'all. I just don't even know.

“Everyone, this is Natalia; she’ll be staying here for a while.  Play nice or she’ll stab you.”

Tony set the dagger carefully on the velvet bottom of the glass display case.  It was older than him by a significant margin, and given its reputation, the last thing he wanted to do was damage it in any way.

“Still not sure if language barriers are a thing in the afterlife,” he continued, setting the top back on the case and taking a step back.  “Really wish there was some way to research that, but alas. Welcome home, Natalia- try and get along with everyone, but I won’t blame you if you stab Loki.”

Faintly, at a level that might have been imaginary, he thought he heard someone behind him huff in exasperation and he smiled, turning toward the little stone figurine set on a shelf next to a chipped war hammer that was even older than Natalia.

“Don’t sass me, Loki,” he said.  “We all know you go out of your way to be annoying, which is why you only break things when you know I’m leaving.”

There were no further noises, possibly imaginary or otherwise.  Tony nodded to himself, going to the door.

“Remember: stabby new roommate.  Play nice,” he admonished one last time before finally leaving, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Natalia watches her latest owner go, still within the confines of the dagger she has inhabited since her death.  Many people have bought and traded and stolen her over the years - how many years she doesn’t know, because time is a fuzzy indistinct thing in this state - but none who have spoken to her like that.  Like she’s still alive and perfectly capable of understanding. It is odd, to say the least.

“ _ You stink of magic, _ ” a voice speaks, calling Natalia’s attention away from the closed door.  It’s echoing and silent, the voice of one who exists in the drifting void between the living and the realm of souls, and it comes from the stone doll their owner addressed as ‘Loki’.

“ _ So do you, _ ” she replies, because of course she stinks of magic, and of course she can smell it on this other spirit.

“ _ Another magician to keep you company, brother! _ ” another voice says, managing somehow to boom despite having no actual volume to it.  It and the first voice fall immediately into bickering.

“ _ Ignore them, _ ” yet another voice advises, and the room suddenly feels crowded with spirits.  It seems everything bar the shelves has a spirit of one sort or another attached to it.  Some are echoes, faint imprints of the once-living, some are full spirits like herself, and some were clearly never human at all.

Natalia unfolds herself from inside her dagger, misty and translucent to her own eyes and invisible to the living entirely, and finds herself looking at a man even smaller than she, thin and frail and bony but with a solidness that speaks to strength beyond any he might or might not have had while alive.

“ _ I’m Steve, _ ” he says.  “ _ Welcome to ghost rehab. _ ”

She frowns at the unfamiliar phrase.  “ _ What is ghost rehab? _ ” she asks.

“ _ That’s what Stevie calls this place, _ ” another man answers, taller and broader, in unfamiliar clothing she nevertheless recognizes as a uniform and missing one arm.  “ _ Tony, they guy who brought you here, he collects haunted stuff so he can help us.  He tries to get us to move on, but he’ll settle for just knowing we’re happy here. _ ”

“ _ What do you haunt? _ ” she asks.  The one-armed man points to a battered stuffed toy, the small man to a painting of a tired-looking woman who looks a great deal like him. “ _ Do you not wish to move on? _ ”

“ _ Stevie was my best friend when we were alive, _ ” the one-armed man says.  “ _ I can’t leave him alone, or he’ll find a way to get his ghost killed, too. _ ”

“ _ Aw, Bucky, _ ” Steve complains, but Bucky only laughs, drawing a faint smile out of Natalia.  “ _ And I can’t leave ‘cause Tony keeps bringing home dangerous spirits who might hurt him if no one’s around to keep an eye out.  I have to stay. _ ”

Natalia smiles wider, deciding she likes these two.  “ _ He does this often? _ ”

“ _ All the time.  And from the strangest places, too.  Went to the circus once and came back with a haunted bow, _ ” Bucky recalls.  “ _ Where did he pick you up? _ ”

“ _ Saint Petersburg, in a museum storeroom like an old pot, _ ” she says. “ _ And you? _ ” It’s been some time she was able to speak so freely with others, and she has missed the companionship of it.

“ _ Attic of the house me and my ma lived in, _ ” Steve says.  “ _ I didn’t live long enough to get famous so most of my paintings wound up there.  He bought ‘em all. Kept most of ‘em, too. _ ”

“ _ My great-niece gave me to him when she heard he had all’a Steve’s stuff, just on the off-chance either one of us was still hangin’ around. _ ”

“ _ I am attached to young Master Tony personally, _ ” another spirit offers.  This one is old, visible lines on his face and warmth in his voice.  “ _ He doesn’t know that I am here, however.  He would only blame himself if her knew. _ ”

“ _ Jarvis was Tony’s family’s butler when he was alive, _ ” Steve explains.  “ _ His wife Ms. Ana’s down in the kitchen.  They’re the youngest here. _ ”

“ _ In a manner of speaking, I suppose, _ ” Jarvis agrees.  “ _ So far as we know, Ana and I have died most recently, assuming you do not change that. _ ”

“ _ How would I know if I did? _ ”

“ _ You don’t, _ ” the very first voice that spoke to her, Loki, says.  He is tall and thin and dark-haired, the spirit next to him even taller and golden-haired.  “ _ You have been dead at least a century, if not more. _ ”

“ _ Brother was a magician when we lived, _ ” the blond giant explains proudly.  “ _ He can mark the passing of time most accurately. _ ”

“ _ How long have you been dead, then? _ ”

“ _ Centuries longer than you, _ ” Loki informs her.  “ _ Not much of a witch, were you? _ ”

Natalia laughs.  “ _ Witch enough to handle you, _ ” she replies, matching Loki condescending gaze for condescending gaze.

Loki laughs.  “ _ I like you, _ ” he says.  “ _ Welcome, Natalia.  I imagine we will enjoy having you here. _ ”

Natalia looks around at Tony’s collection of spirits and their assortment of vessels and anchors and smiles.

“ _ I think I’m going to enjoy being here. _ ”


End file.
